Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola has teamed up with hip retailer Huckberry to offer three exclusive editions of its flagship watch. Given Huckberry’s mission to offer its customers innovative and independent brands, this feels like an obvious pairing. Shinola is the young watch brand that reinvigorated Detroit’s manufacturing sector and Huckberry is the slightly younger company that is part store, part blog and all inspiration. The three new Runwell watches reinforce Shinola’s love of the past and sit well with the apparel and lifestyle retailer’s rejection of the nine-to-five life.
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Shinola Runwell Field Watch in Cream Dial | Image: Shinola
The Runwell is the watch that most embodies the ethos of the Shinola brand. Founded in 2010, Shinola began with a bold concept – to re-establish America as a force in watchmaking. And where better to do that than in Detroit, a city renowned for its manufacturing prowess? But making a rugged watch like the Runwell in a city in decline was no easy feat. An early sceptic of the idea exclaimed “you don’t know shit from Shinola”, giving the founders both an idea for the brand name and the motivation to pull it off.
The Runwell, the company’s debut watch, was produced by a newly trained Detroit workforce that included many former automotive workers. Huckberry has parallels with Shinola, again having its own interpretation of the American dream. The two founders quit their jobs “cranking out spreadsheets for 90 hours each week” to instead build a website for men who yearned for the outdoors.
Shinola Runwell Field Watch in Cream Dial | Image: Shinola
The Runwell is a straightforward watch, with a vintage vibe and a slightly militaristic look – unsurprising as the design was inspired by timepieces worn by military officers in WWII. Still, it blends in well with the blue-collar style of Huckberry and would certainly compliment their no-nonsense apparel. Both brands sit nicely on the fence between urban and outdoors aesthetics.
This mid-sized Runwell is more versatile than some of the larger variations and it has the specs that you’d want at this price point. The glass is a domed sapphire crystal and the movement is Shinola’s own Argonite 703 calibre – a quartz movement based on a Swiss Ronda base. Each of the three stainless steel models features a matte velvet dial with very legible numerals that have four layers of lume. Designed as a practical watch, it boasts 100M of water resistance and a quick-release nylon strap. There’s a great story behind the production of the Runwell and the collaboration with the upstarts at Huckberry adds another layer of desirability. These three colourful models give a nod to the past and also the inspiration for your future adventures.
Shinola Runwell Field Watch in Safety Orange Dial | Image: Shinola
Shinola Runwell Field Watch
Diameter: 41mm
Strap: Woven Nylon
Case: Stainless Steel
Movement: Argonite 703 Quartz
Glass: Sapphire Crystal
Water Resistance: 100M
Price: USD$650
Shinola Runwell Field Watch in Green Dial | Image: Shinola
